Authors note:
The china marble referred to in this story is a high-fired china
that is like glass. I have not been able to determine when the
phrase "Lost his marbles" came into popular speech but
Ill use literary license if it wasnt popular by 1849.

"Please?"

"No."

"Puhleeaasse?" Little
Joe held his arms out at his sides as he trudged beside Pa.

"Little Joe, its a
town council meeting." Pa threw open the barn door and
walked inside. "You and I both know you are not interested
in sitting through a town council meeting."

"Pa, I promise. Ill
play marbles right behind the town hall an Ill come
soon as you need me to." Little Joe followed toward the
stalls. "Please, Pa?" He paused long enough to put on
the face Pa usually couldnt say no to.
"Please?"

Pa didnt say anything
right away, a good sign he was giving in. "What about
Smoke?"

"Ill ask, Hoss.
Hes not going, right?"

"If Hoss cant watch
him, you put Smoke in his pen." Pas head moved with
every word.

Pa didnt need to say
anymore. Memories of the damage Smoke had done the last time he
had stayed home alone were still very fresh with Little Joe.

He uttered, "Yes, Pa"
and ran off to find Hoss.

Little Joe just had to get to
Eagle Station. Like Pa, he had important business there. But,
unlike Pa, hed just as soon the rest of the family
didnt know about it.

Somehow, some way, he had to
win back his marbles from Wendell.

If Pa found out they were
playing for keeps Little Joe would get it good. Pa had told him
from the time he was old enough to understand that playing for
keeps was gambling. Little Joe didnt see the harm in a
little gambling and hed tried to talk to Pa about it,
thinking maybe they could reach an agreement the way Pa and Adam
did from time to time. Pa had been pretty reasonable until Little
Joe had made the mistake of talking back to him.

The memory of that embarrassing
lecture caused him to shift on the wagon seat as they rode toward
Eagle Station.

Pa glanced his way
"Something wrong, son?"

"Just gettin
settled."

"Where are your
marbles?"

"I  left em
with Wendell." Which was the truth. Why was Adam smiling at
him that way from his horse?

"So," Little Joe
asked, deciding to change the subject, "you figure
therell be a lot of folks at the meetin?"

"Probably." Pa
directed the team onto the trail toward town. "Eli said
several people are scheduled to speak. They want to hire a
sheriff. Much as Id like to have some law enforcement I
dont know where the money would come from."

"I know one dissenting
vote already," Adam said as he thought of JackWolf. He
looked toward the road ahead. So Little Joe had left his marbles
with Wendell, hum? That could only mean one thing  they
were playing for keeps despite Pas warning. Eventually Pa
was going to get suspicious if Little Joe didnt bring his
marbles home, especially since one of them was a special china
one that Adam had played with when he was a child.

After a reminder to stay near
the Town Hall, Pa followed Adam inside the building and Little
Joe ran to find Wendell.

"But whatre you
gonna play with?" Wendell challenged as they stood outside
his fathers blacksmith shop.

Little Joe sighed.
"Cmon, Wendell, we dont ever keep all of
em or wed never have another game."

His red-haired friend
considered Joes argument a moment and then grinned at the
prospect of some more good games. "Where ya wanna
play?"

"Behind the Town
Hall."

They gathered up a few more
boys and soon Wendell had drawn the circle in the dirt. He put
the agreed upon number of marbles in the center and then Little
Joe and he each shot a marble toward a rock to see who would go
first. When Little Joe won, Wendell moaned.

"Hes got you
now," Toby laughed knowingly.

"May as well hand them to
him," Zed added.

Little Joe put a knuckle on the
ground and flicked his shooter toward the center. He only had
five marbles left in the ring when he missed and it was
Wendells turn. He knew the game was over because Wendell
wasnt gonna miss those no matter what. They played several
more games and the competition drew more onlookers.

Winnings in his marble sack,
Little Joe finally raised his head slightly. "Now lets
play for my china one."

His buddy shrugged.
"Cant."

"Why not?"

"Cause Ive got
it," Lewis Tinker pushed through the group of onlookers.
Standing a head and a half above the others, he looked more grown
than fifteen even if he didnt act it.

Everything from betrayal to
fury to the need to hit something shot through Little Joe - and
Wendell was the closest. He swung his fist and experienced the
astonishment of having it crack against Wendells chin.

Wendell staggered back,
surprise in his green eyes only until they nearly closed in rage.

Little Joe ducked as Wendell
charged him and quickly turned to face him again. This time he
wasnt so lucky. Wendell got a hold of him and they fell to
the dirt. They mostly wrestled and kicked but Little Joe felt one
blow land near his eye and threw his arms up to protect himself.
Hed finally managed to get on top when strong hands closed
around him under his arms and lifted him up.

Oh, no. It was Pa and he was
gonna wish Wendell had killed him.

"Stop it. Now."

Little Joe looked up in
surprise. That wasnt Pas voice. It was Adams.

"Dont you know what
Pall do if he finds you fighting?" Adam
half-whispered, looking worriedly over his shoulder at the Town
Hall. He motioned with his right hand. "Come on."

"Where?"

"To clean you up."
Adam led the way to the creek behind town and squatted down to
wet his neckerchief. "Wash your face and hands." He
dusted at the front of the boys clothing and then motioned
that Little Joe should turn around.

It felt like Adam swatted extra
hard at the seat of Little Joes pants.

Adam touched up a few spots
with the wet neckerchief and then stood, inspecting his
handiwork. "Well, you dont look any dirtier than usual
now. The meetings almost over so Mrs. Orowitz will be
opening the mercantile."

"I want my marbles."

Adam put a hand to Little
Joes left shoulder. "Ill get them. You go to the
mercantile." When it looked like his younger brother was
going to argue, Adam gave a jerk of his chin.

What was Little Joe thinking?
Not just a fight but a fight by Town Hall? No telling what Pa
would have done if hed found out but Adam had a couple of
good ideas.

"Are you okay?" Adam
approached Wendell.

"Aint seen the day
yet that Little Joe could lick me."

Adam smiled at the boasting.
"Where are his marbles?"

The boy reached to the side and
lifted a small muslin sack. "Tell im no bad
feelins?"

Adam bounced the bag in the
palm of his hand and said he would.

The crowd began to emerge from
Town Hall and when Pas eyes settled on Adam he looked
questioningly at the marbles but didnt say anything.

"Yes, maam.
Therell be a butterfly or a dragonfly or even a bird and
Smoke doesnt seem to notice them. But he chases their
shadow on the ground."

"That is odd. So does his
mother."

Ruth became aware of Ben and
Adam and she quickly smiled. "Ah, good afternoon. I have the
things you requested."

Bens lips twisted to the
left as he recalled that Ruth and Margaret had been cohorts in
the puppy plot. "You dont mind if I check the order
before we leave do you? Just to be sure theres nothing of
Margarets mixed in?"

Ruths face became as
innocent as an angels. "Of course not."

Adam waited until Hoss
snoring was almost deafening that night before he closed his book
and propped himself on his right elbow. "So what was the
fight about?"

Little Joe, who should have
been asleep hours earlier, put his hands behind his head causing
Smoke to whimper and crawl to the foot of the bunk.
"Youll just tell Pa."

"I saved your hide today.
Why would I tell Pa?"

The twelve-year-old thought
about it a minute. "Promise you wont?"

"Promise."

"Weve been playing
for keeps."

"Oow," Adam said
softly.

"Its worse."

How could it be worse? Adam
watched his brother closely.

"I lost the china."

"The china marble that was
mine?"

Little Joe gave a slight nod of
his head.

Adam fell back on his pillows
and closed his blue eyes. "Pa gave me that marble. He traded
an Englishman for it. Weve gotta get it back."

"No, but hell play
you. And were going to work on your game until you can beat
him."

Little Joe sat up with
excitement and Smoke growled in protest. Didnt Little Joe
understand he was a growing pup and he needed his sleep?

"Promise?" Little Joe
asked.

"Promise."

+++

Ben didnt cross paths
with his youngest son the next day until mid-afternoon when the
boy rode in - Smoke peeking out of the special bag Hop Sing had
fashioned to fit Little Joes saddle.

"Hey, Pa," Little Joe
jumped to the ground and held up a string of fish after putting
Smoke on his feet. "Smoke and me caught nine fish."

Little Joe did nothing alone
these days. Anytime he mentioned himself it was "Smoke and
me."

"Ought to be enough for
Hoss," Ben teased as he squatted down and gave Smoke a
scratch behind his wet ears. "Did Smoke tangle with another
frog?"

Little Joe laughed easily.
"Nah. Hes a fast learner."

"You didnt see Adam,
did you?"

Was it his imagination that his
son chose his next words carefully?

Little Joe put the fish down on
the porch and Smoke pulled at one of the tails until the boy saw
what he was doing and told him to stop. "I think he mighta
said somethin about goin to welcome those folks that
bought the Albert place."

"I didnt know anyone
had moved in there."

Little Joe shrugged easily.
"I think thats what he said."

Which meant, of course, it was
exactly where Adam was.

"Do you remember if he
might have said anything about when he would be back?" Ben
asked in amusement as he watched Smoke ease back to the fish and
pull at the fish tail, looking from the sides of his eyes at
Little Joe.

Little Joe swallowed from the
water bucket dipper and stared into space. "Seems he mighta
said hed be back before dinner. He had some bread and
venison and preserves for them from Hop Sing."

"Whos that?"
Hoss asked as he crossed the porch and walked to the water
bucket. Smoke immediately quit pulling at the fish and
ferociously attacked Hoss pants hem.

"Did you know someone
bought the Albert homestead?" Ben asked.

"Oh, yeah," Hoss said
with enthusiasm, shaking his leg and dislodging his attacker.
"Theyve got a pa and a ma, a girl and two boys."

"Adam said theyre
just kids," Little Joe answered. He held up the fish for his
brother to see and Smoke jumped, still intent on getting one by
the tail. "Look what Smoke and me caught."

"Did he pull in the pole
like we been teachin im?" Hoss asked.

Ben lowered his head. What
would these two try to teach this pup next?

"He tried," Little
Joe answered. "But the fish started splashing and Smoke got
upset and started barking at it. When it kept splashing he just
jumped in the water and swam out there and got it."

Hoss frowned. "YOU can eat
that fish."

"He didnt hurt it.
Didnt even get a tooth mark on it."

"He what?" Ben asked
quickly.

Little Joe beamed up at him.
"He didnt even get a tooth mark on it."

"Thats the sign of a
good bird dog."

Little Joe screwed up his face.
"Whats a bird dog?"

"You shoot the birds and
it brings them back without damaging them."

Little Joe and Hoss looked at
each other with raised eyebrows.

"Too bad e
cant shoot em, too," Hoss observed.

"Hey," Little
Joes face lit up. "Wonder if we could train im
to -"

"No!" Ben ordered.

His youngest son looked up at
him in aggravation. "I was just wondering if we could teach
im to bring back birds like that."

Hoss laughed softly. "Gee,
Pa everybody knows a dog cant shoot a rifle. Leastways not
without a lot of practice." Hoss laughed when Pa pulled off
his hat and swatted Hoss shoulder with it.

Smoke barked his approval and
attacked Hoss pants hem again.

As he returned from checking
the cattle in late afternoon, Ben noted Adams horse in the
corral. He turned his own horse in and glanced around the ranch
yard. Smoke, Abigail and John Adams were sleeping in a pile under
the front porch bench and Little Joe was stretched out nearby,
his hat over his head.

He turned on his heel and
spotted Hoss and Tess walking down in the meadow, laughing and
looking down. Ben entered the barn and his oldest son looked up
from stacking feed sacks with as close to a guilty look as Ben
had seen in a while.

"Pa," he said and
quickly straightened the last of the bags before it could fall on
his boot. "Sorry I didnt see you this morning to tell
you where I was headed. Hop Sing asked me to take some things
over to the family that bought the Albert place."

Ben crossed his arms. "Hop
Sing."

Adam nodded once. "I
helped with a few things and she sent back a real heavy cake that
has nuts and rum in it. Smells good." He walked past Pa
toward the corral to tend his horse.

Ben followed and handed Adam a
brush. "Maybe we should invite them over for lunch some
Sunday to get acquainted."

Was Adams face flushed
from brushing his horse or was there some other reason? Ben
decided to leave it for the moment and smiled as he walked to the
house.

A friendly tap in the side from
the toe of Pas boot as he went nearby on the porch woke
Little Joe from his late afternoon nap. The aromas drifting from
the open windows told him dinner would be ready soon so he needed
to tend Paint the way he should have a couple of hours ago and
then get cleaned up.

"Hey, Adam," he
greeted as he joined his brother in the corral. "Pa was
asking for you."

"He found me," came
the cryptic reply.

"You aint in
trouble, are ya?"

Adam shook his head. "None
that I know of."

"Pa kinda acted like you
hadnt told him where you were going."

"Hop Sing knew. Pa could
have asked him."

"Oh." Little Joe made
note of that in case Pa ever wasnt around when he wanted to
do something.

As if reading his mind, Adam
said. "But if I were you, Id ask his permission until
I were a little older." He patted Little Joe on the back and
left the corral, walking toward the house.

Little Joe finished with Paint
and then entered the barn to put up the grooming brushes. But he
stopped in his tracks when he saw part of a bridle lying twisted
and half destroyed beside the chest they stored smaller tools in.

His stomach growing queasy,
Little Joe bent down and fingered it. Paints headstall.
Smoke had chewed through just about everything that was supposed
to be connected. And this was Little Joes fault pure and
simple because he had thrown it on top of the chest when they got
back in from fishing instead of hanging it the way hed been
taught.

Little Joe dropped the
headstall and sat on the chest. When Pa found out  aw, gee,
he had that brand new belt hed bought at the mercantile.

"Joe! Dinner!"
Pas voice called from the front porch.

Little Joe kicked hay over the
evidence and quickly stepped from the barn. "Comin
Pa!"

It had been such an easy-going
day that Ben was a little surprised by how quiet his sons were at
dinner that evening. Adam and Hoss spoke only when spoken to. And
Little Joe, who wouldnt quit talking, was saying something
Ben couldnt make any sense out of.

Why on earth was Little Joe
talking about mistakes? Ben put molasses on his bread and decided
whatever was going on with Little Joe would come out sooner or
later.

Adam shook his head. What was
Little Joe so nervous about? Had Smoke gotten into something else
today? More importantly what was wrong with Hoss?

"You all right?" he
asked his blond brother.

Hoss shrugged lethargically.

"Maybe I can help,"
Adam said.

"It caint be
undone."

That sounded ominous. Adam
pushed his fork into his beans. "Maybe you arent
looking at it right."

"Well, that was the
problem in the beginning but it aint now," Hoss said,
almost sounding morose. He rubbed at his face with his right
hand. "Tess and me made a terrible mistake."

Adams fork clattered to
his dish. He quickly retrieved it. Hop Sing folded his hands in
his lap and Pa very slowly eased back in his chair. Little Joe
looked around at everyone, wondering why they were behaving so
oddly. When he couldnt figure it out he filled his plate
with more beans.

"Maybe you and I should
discuss it alone later, son."

Hoss shook his head.
"Everybodys gonna know eventually, Pa."

Little Joe looked around the
table again. What was wrong? Pas jaw was set, Adam was
staring into space, and Hop Sing was softly saying something in
Chinese.

Hoss squared his shoulders.
"John Adams aint a boy."

"What dya mean he
aint a boy?" Little Joe challenged his brother from
across the table as Adam leaned his head back, Hop Sing rolled
his eyes and Pa blew out his cheeks and lowered his head as if he
were saying a prayer.

"I mean John Adams is a
girl," Hoss said, his chin jutting.

"Aw gee Hoss." Little
Joe leaned to the side and picked up Smoke. Holding the twisting
puppy under his front legs, Little Joe dangled him over the table
with his chubby belly facing Hoss. "All you gotta do is look
for his -"

"Joseph!"

"Dang it, I know what you
look for," Hoss shot back at his baby brother.

"Joseph, put Smoke on the
floor now." Ben leaned his elbows on the table and covered
his face with his hands, grateful there was no company present.

"Its harder to tell
with kittens," Hoss said defensively. "And anyhow Tess
was the one who told me John Adams was a boy."

Little Joe slapped both small
hands on the tabletop. "Tess doesnt know how to tell a
boy from a girl?" He launched into laughter until Hoss
scowled at him in undisguised threat.

"Youre not going to
change his  uh- her name, are you?" Adam asked easily.

Hoss frowned at his plate.
"You figure itd be okay to call her John Adams?"

The sky was darkening, and
Smoke was playing with Hoss and the kittens in the house, when
Ben realized hed lost track of Little Joe. He seemed to be
doing more of that lately and he knew from rearing two other boys
that this was not necessarily an age when Little Joe should be
unsupervised for great lengths of time. He strolled outside,
nodded to Adam who was sitting on the bench, and decided to check
the barn.

The moment he stepped in,
Little Joe jerked like a puppet on a string and quickly whipped
something behind him. Even if that movement hadnt aroused
Bens suspicions, the guilt on the freckled face would have.

Ben sat on the chest and looked
at his son. "Please dont hide anything behind your
back like that."

It had been a long time since
hed seen such emotional warfare. Little Joe wanted to obey,
that much was clear. But he also didnt want to pay any
consequences.

Ben held out his left hand.

"Will ya let me
splain, Pa?" came the worried request.

"I always do."

Little Joe bit his lower lip
and slowly handed a headstall to Ben. A headstall that was more
destroyed than useful.

Ben studied the tooth marks.
"How did Smoke get to this?"

Ben recognized all the signs,
especially the looking around. Little Joe was getting ready to
launch into a lie.

"Joe."

The brown eyes stopped on his
face.

"Do you remember why I
spanked you when you burned down the outhouse?"

His hands went into his back
pockets. "Cause I lied."

"The smart man learns from
his experiences."

Little Joe understood what Pa
was telling him. He pulled his left hand from his back pocket and
quickly swiped at his nose. "I  I was in a hurry to
clean the fish after we got back?" The sentence became a
question.

Ben nodded.

"I put Paint in the corral
and took her saddle and all off. But I kind of threw some of the
stuff on the chest."

"Instead of hanging
it."

"Yes, Pa."

"And even if we
didnt have to worry about Smoke chewing it, why do we hang
bridles?"

"So the reins and all
dont get tangled an broken and so nobody trips or
gets hurt or anything and so everyone can find what they need
when they need it," Little Joe recited.

Ben handed the damaged
headstall back to his son. "What do you think we should do
about this?"

It took everything in the
youngster to meet Bens eyes. "I didnt lie to
you, Pa."

"And I appreciate the fact
that you didnt. You told me man to man what you had done. I
expect you to be more careful though."

"Yes, Pa."

Ben patted the boys
shoulder and walked from the barn. He hoped the lesson was
learned and that he wasnt being too easy on his youngest
son  he would have spanked Adam for the same offense when
he had been twelve.

+++

After lunch the next day, Ben
did a mental check of the days chores that hadnt been
done. He was not surprised to find that Little Joe was forgetting
several of his extra chores  but for Adam and Hoss to
ignore their chores was unusual. He first went looking for Hoss,
thinking Little Joe would be with his older brother finding out
how to repair Paints headstall. When he couldnt find
Hoss he asked Hop Sing.

"He with Tess," was
Hop Sings response.

"Is anyone getting any
work done around here?" Ben asked in frustration.

Hop Sing smiled. "Some
just doing more than others, maybe."

Ben pulled on his work gloves
and was approaching the back of the barn when he saw Adam and
Little Joe hunched near the ground with their backs to him.

"Like that?" Little
Joe asked.

"Youre getting
better. But you need to think about how these are going to hit
one another even more than you do, Joe. Like this one. You
dont want to hit it straight on or even off the right side
here. You just want your shooter to glance off it like this.
See."

Shooter? His responsible
twenty-one-year-old son was playing marbles when he should be
doing chores? Something was afoot.

"Wow! Whered you
learn that?"

"Pa."

"Pa plays marbles?"

"He did when I was a
kid."

"For keeps or for
fun?"

"Joe, were talking
about Pa."

"I still dont see
nuthin wrong with playing for keeps."

Adam sighed. "Well, as
long as youre living under his roof you should obey
him."

"Is that why you do?
Cause you live under his roof?"

"I obey him because I
respect him, little brother."

" Cause hes
Pa?"

"Yep. Because hes
Pa."

Bens frustration
evaporated as his chest swelled with pride for his sons.

But, as hed always heard,
pride came before a fall.

Adams very next words
caused his chest to cave in.

"Now, knuckle down and
lets see you practice that shot. Youre gonna make
Lewis sorry he ever won that china."

Ben relaxed on the settee that
night, long after everyone had gone to bed, and sipped an herbal
tea that was supposed to help him sleep.

What was he to do?

Did he step in now and tell the
boys he had overheard them behind the barn? Or did he let them go
through with their plan and pay the price? It would be easier on
him to call them on it now but the lessons that seemed to stick
with his sons were the ones learned the hard way.

The problem was that the older
he got the more he disliked being part of those lessons and
meting out the consequences.

He knew he had been
inconsistent in rearing the three of them. Hed been too
young a father when Adam was little - making heavy demands and
oftimes dealing with the boy too strictly. Luckily, Hoss had been
a compliant youngster but even he had his moments. Almost every
time that happened, Adam had stepped in and served as Hoss
spokesman until Ben cooled down. And then there was Joseph.
Nothing in life, except perhaps his own childhood, had prepared
Ben for his youngest son: he had the most distressing ability to
turn Bens own words on him.

Abigail jumped onto the settee
beside him and he absently stroked her soft fur.

"Oooo?" she tilted
her head.

"No, its not food.
Just t-" Ben caught himself and frowned. "Did you ask
if this was food?"

Abigail turned her head
slightly and said, "yow."

This couldnt be. He knew
Hoss had taught the kittens to say "oow" when they
wanted out and something akin to "eee" when they were
hoping for a dish of milk. But oooo and yow?

Ben put down the mug of tea and
picked up Abigail. "Do me a favor, Abby? Dont talk to
me like this in front of my sons? Ive barely got the upper
hand as it is."

+++

"Uh  Pa?" Adam
tried to act so casual as he approached Ben two days later that
the man was immediately suspicious. "I have a book to return
to Mr. Orowitz and since Little Joe and I finished our chores I
thought wed ride in to Eagle Station."

Little Joe and Hoss were bad
liars; Adam was dreadful.

Ben looked at the sun.
"Youll be back before dark?"

"Yes, sir."

Yes, sir to such a simple
question? Oh, now he was sure Adam was up to something.

"Dont let Little Joe
race Paint," Ben instructed.

Adam nodded quickly  did
Ben imagine the relief in the slender face  and set his
hat. "Yes, Pa." He took long strides toward the corral,
almost running, and yelled toward the porch. "Come on, Joe.
Pa said its all right."

Little Joe bounded off the end
of the porch and raced to meet his brother at the corral.

"Where are they
headed?" Hoss stopped with a sack of feed thrown over his
shoulder. His left hand covered the corner Smoke had chewed.

"Town. You want to go with
them?"

"Nah. Im teaching
Smoke how to get stuff."

"How to what?"

"He and I had a little
talk about what he could do to make himself useful around here
and one of the things hes been learning is how to get
things for me when I need em. He already knows hammer and
saw."

"How does he bring you the
saw?"

"He gets his mouth on the
handle and tugs it to me. Hes better help than Little Joe.
Come to think of it, he concentrates more than Adam lately,
too."

Ben watched his sons ride
toward the town road and a sinking sensation took over. If this
wasnt about that china marble he was the President of the
United States.

As soon as they knew they were
out of sight, Adam and Little Joe let out whoops and pushed their
horses into a gallop. They raced part of the way, slowed to a
walk, and then built up to a good pace so they could reach town
before late afternoon.

"Wheres Lewis?"
Little Joe grabbed Tobys arm when he found him on the
sidewalk in front of Shelbys Saloon.

"Who cares?" Toby
shook his arm free.

"I want to play
im." The determination in Little Joes face
caused Toby to smile.

"Ill find im.
Where do ya wanna meet?"

"Out by the creek."

Toby ran off and Adam nodded.
"Beat him for both of us, little brother."

Little Joe grinned and ran
toward the creek.

Adam never had been good at
lying to Pa, even when it would have saved him from going across
Pas knees. Hed been convinced from the time he was
old enough to talk that Pa could read his mind. Later he just
knew Pa could see the truth on his face. And by the time
hed been Hoss age hed pretty much given up on
lying entirely. Sometimes he could talk around the truth, or try
for a half-truth. But Pa and he went too far back, were too
close, for him to be comfortable with the space a lie created
between them.

With that in mind, he entered
the mercantile to borrow a book from Mr. Orowitz. That way at
least when they returned to the ranch hed have one in hand
and allay any of Pas suspicions.

"Hello, Adam." Mrs.
Greene smiled as she turned from the counter where she had been
talking with Mrs. Orowitz. "How is Little Joes
puppy?"

Adam looked at the
Orowitz dog, Estelle. "I think hes going to be
bigger than his mother."

Mrs. Greene tilted her head.
"And Ben? Is he still all right with Little Joe having the
puppy?"

"He wants every animal to
carry its weight."

She crossed her arms.
"Thats the way a good rancher has to think."

Adam shook his head. "Then
hes a good rancher."

He was stowing the book he had
borrowed from Mr. Orowitz in his saddlebag when Wendell ran
toward him, arms and legs pumping as if he were being chased by a
grizzly.

Uh oh. This wasnt going
anywhere good. Adam placed his right hand on his brothers
small shoulder but Little Joe shrugged it off as if it were a
gnat and stepped away.

"Take it back!" Lewis
shouted.

"Give it back!"
Little Joe countered.

"Look, fellas," Adam
stepped between them, hoping to reason with at least one of them.
Well intentioned as his movement was, it proved a catalyst for
catastrophe.

Adam gave Little Joe his best
"think about it" look. After all, Lewis was almost as
tall as Adam and he was built the way Hoss had been at that age.

Lewis made a lunge at Little
Joe but Adam extended his arms, one open palm toward each of the
would-be warriors. "Nobodys going to win if you two
-"

He never finished the sentence.
Lewis fist connected with Adams nose and for a brief
moment he would have been blind if he hadnt seen all the
bright stars.

"Adam! Look out!"
Little Joe yelped and Adam ducked. Lewis went flying past him and
landed on his side in the dirt.

This was insane. He wasnt
going to fight some kid.

"Lewis," he said,
wiping at his nose. "This needs to stop now."

Lewis didnt agree. He
hunched over and charged, giving Adam a belly hit that not only
slammed the air out of his lungs but felt like it ruptured his
stomach. Adam landed on his back with the boy on top of him.
After a few of Lewis plummeting fists to his face and
sides, Adam sucked in enough air to roll the kid over. He was on
top but now what?

His hesitation cost him dearly.
Lewis grabbed Adams left calf and gave it a searing wrench
to the side. Adam fell off the boy, grabbing his leg and looked
up just in time to see a fist coming straight for his face. He
blocked it, and the next one.

What was wrong with this kid?
Didnt he know better than to fight a grown man?

"Get off!" Little Joe
yelled, tugging at Lewis from behind. He looked for the world
like a mad wildcat. "Get off him!"

"Joe!" Adam shouted.
"Back out! Now!" His distraction allowed Lewis to land
a fist on his cheekbone.

That was it. Kid or not it was
time for a lesson.

Adam stood, leaning over as he
gathered breath. With strength he normally saved for carrying
feed sacks and moving bales of hay, he turned the kid around. He
gripped the back of Lewis shirt collar and put his right
boot to the seat of the boys pants and heaved with all his
might.

The splash when Lewis hit the
creek was a sight to behold. And when the boy stood up he was the
object of no small amount of ridicule and laughter.

Adam watched him closely,
wiping his nose with the back of his right hand.

Adam took a step forward and
the boy jerked backwards, falling on his tail in the water.
"Dont threaten my brother."

When he was sure the bully
wouldnt come out of the creek until the Cartwrights were
gone he ordered, "Lets go" to Little Joe. To his
discomfort he saw awe in his little brothers eyes.

That awe changed to worry
during the ride home. "Whatre we gonna tell Pa?"
Little Joe finally dared to ask as they approached the corral.

Pa was going to know something
had happened because Adam was covered with dirt and the front of
his shirt was splattered with dried blood, his right sleeve was
torn out of the armhole, and two bad scrapes were already
bruising on his cheek. He looked like hed been in the
middle of a stampede.

"I know," Little Joe
said suddenly. "Well tell him that a bear attacked and
you protected me."

Adam rolled his eyes his
younger brothers way. Hed never thought hed
hear Joe mention a bear attack so lightly  time healed
wounds in more ways than one.

Adam shook his head
"no" and shifted in his saddle. "But if he ever
hears about you fighting like I just did, he will tan you."
Adam sighed. "I wish youd been able to get that china
marble back."

"He was saving it for
last. I couldve won it in that last game if he hadnt
cheated. Now whatre we gonna do?"

Adam gave a nod of his head
toward the house. "You have to think of a solution. Im
out."

Hoss was the first to see the
two of them approaching and he called back to Pa from the front
porch. "Here they come now. Told ya Adamd be home
before dinner."

Ben stepped outside, closing
the door behind him and glanced at the sunset. What could have
possibly taken so long? Why were they riding so slowly? Neither
of the horses looked lame. He stepped to the edge of the porch.

"Pa?" Hoss squinted
at his brothers. "Does it look to you like somethins
wrong with Adam?"

Ben hadnt seen Adam this
filthy even when he had been a kid and he had never had a sleeve
torn out of his shirt.

If he didnt know better
hed think Adam had been fighting.

"What happened to
you?" Ben held the horses head as he looked up at his
son.

Adam dismounted and attempted to dust some of the dirt from his
pants. "A misunderstanding." His face was a study in
painful embarrassment.

"Pa, it wasnt his
fault. Lewis started it," Little Joe blurted out from atop
Paint.

Adam winced as if hed
been lashed and Pas hands went to his waist. He looked up
at Little Joe and then down to Adam in bewilderment.
"Lewis?"

"Joe," Adam rubbed at
his right eyebrow, "would you please quit helping me?"

"What happen to you?"
Hop Sing asked as he hurried from the porch.

"A misunderstanding,"
Ben answered, frowning deeply.

"Misunderstanding need
tending?" Hop Sing asked.

Adam thanked Hop Sing for his
concern and assured him he was just dirty.

"Hoss, help Joe tend the
horses, please," Pa directed, and then turned his attention
back to Adam.

Hoss gave his little brother a
worried look as they led the animals to the barn. "Adam
really fought Lewis?"

"Kicked his tail,"
Little Joe bragged.

Hoss cleared his throat.
"Uh, dont say stuff like that around Pa, okay? Adam
dont need any more trouble."

Little Joe shrugged and put
Smoke in Paints saddlebag to give him a ride to the barn.

Ben looked toward the pines. He
had been baffled in his life but rarely like this. What had
spurred Adam to fight? And a boy at that? Surely it wasnt
the marbles.

Adam put his hands on his hips
in an unconscious mirror image of Pa and wondered what to tell
him. How could something so well intentioned go so completely
wrong?

Good intentions or not, Pa
expected answers. That message was clear when Adam finally spared
him a glance and saw the set of his jaw.

He ran his right hand through
his hair. "Pa, its a long story."

Why did they keep saying that?
It hadnt excused one of them yet. "Im
listening."

Adam closed his eyes. All the
way home, hed been trying to figure out how much he could
safely tell Pa. "You arent going to like it."

Ben crossed his arms at his
chest.

Adam pushed his hands into his
front pockets. "When I tell you what happened Im not
going to tell you everything."

He squared his shoulders and
waited for the explosion. None of Ben Cartwrights sons had
been reared to be insubordinate and Adam doubted the rule would
change now.

"Im listening,"
Pa repeated with a little more edge in his tone. He wasnt
smiling but he wasnt frowning either.

Adam took heart that Pa was
respecting his decision. He could show Pa the same respect by
keeping the story simple and to the point. "Little Joe was
playing marbles down by the creek."

Pa nodded, his expression still
unreadable.

"I was getting ready to go
find him so we could head home when Wendell came running up
yelling that Joe was about to get in a lot of trouble."

That news didnt take Pa
by surprise.

"When I got there 
to where they were playing marbles  Joe was saying that
Lewis had cheated and Lewis was saying he hadnt."

That didnt surprise Pa,
either.

"Lewis started toward Joe
and I stepped in between them."

"Lewis started toward
Little Joe."

"Yes, Pa. I stepped in the
middle to tell them they wouldnt accomplish anything by
fighting. Thats when Lewis hit me in the nose. He barreled
in to me, got in some other licks and then I finished
things."

"Finished things?"

"I booted him into the
creek."

Pa didnt say a thing.
Even as grown as he was, Adam didnt know what the silence
meant and he found it a little uncomfortable. "Im not
going to fight a kid. I dont care how big he is. But you
might talk to Joe. Lewis could really do some damage to
him."

Pas left eyebrow shot up
as he looked Adam over. "So I see," he said dryly.
"Well, come in the house and wash some of this
misunderstanding off your face."

After tending the horses,
Little Joe and Hoss stomped across the front porch, making plenty
of noise in case Pa and Adam were still discussing Adams
fight with Lewis. But when they opened the front door Pa was
sitting in a chair laughing and Adam, cleaned up and buttoning a
fresh shirt, was saying, "She growled at Mr. Wolf the whole
time he was on the sidewalk and when she went back in the store
Mrs. Orowitz gave her a treat."

Little Joe headed for the
washbasin, conspicuously placing Adams book and his sack of
marbles beside it.

"How was your game?"
Pa asked.

Little Joe glanced up at Adam
questioningly and received a look of assurance that their secret
was still safe. "I beat Lewis."

"Give him his marbles
back?" Pa asked when Little Joe had finished washing.

"Sure."

Pa looked down and his voice
went husky. "Id hate to find out you were playing for
keeps."

"Me, too," Little Joe
admitted, hoping he sounded innocent.

+++

Ben watched his oldest and
youngest sons with keen interest the next few days.

Adams appetite hit rock
bottom even though he worked hard all day. Ben didnt have
to wonder what that was about he was keeping a promise to
Little Joe while he knew something his father didnt approve
of.

Little Joe couldnt
concentrate on anything. Ben heard the word "sir?" out
of him more in three days than he had in the previous twelve
years.

On the fourth day, Little Joe
disappeared. Ben couldnt locate him near the house or barn,
Adam checked the fishing hole and Little Joes secret cave,
and all Hoss knew was that Little Joe had asked him to watch
Smoke.

"Little Joe very
preoccupied," Hop Sing said when they gathered on the front
porch. "This morning he nearly put egg yolks in fire and egg
shells in bowl. What that saying? Almost like he lose his
marbles."

As the last word came from Hop
Sing, Adams mouth opened in a startled and uncontrolled
"ooh".

The reaction did not escape Ben
who turned on his oldest son, his tone indicating he would not
tolerate anything but an answer as straight as an arrow.
"Where is he?"

"He - mightve gone
to town," Adam said slowly, eyes to one side.

"Might have," Pa
demanded sharply, "or did?"

Adams back stiffened at
Pas angry tone. After all, he hadnt done anything to
deserve a dressing down. "I dont know any more than
you do, Pa."

Hoss shifted uncomfortably when
Pa jabbed his finger Adams way.

"But you think you
do." Pas anger rose as his voice deepened.
"Hes been gambling with marbles and Lewis has the
china one. And I do not excuse you for encouraging him to disobey
me!"

Hoss hadnt seen Adam go
so white since hed accidentally hit him too hard in the
stomach when they were sparring.

Pa pulled on his hat and spoke
to Adam through gritted teeth. "See that those chores get
done."

Adam didnt move and as
far as Hoss could tell he wasnt breathing. After Pa rode
off at a gallop, Adam left the porch without a word.

"Adam?" Hoss started
after him but Adam kept his back toward his brother and waved a
hand. Hoss knew what that meant. Adam wanted to be left alone.

Hoss didnt much blame
him.

+++

Little Joe was good at marbles
even if he did say so himself. Nearly all the town boys
acknowledged that fact and they gathered at the creek to watch
him play Lewis.

They were ready to start their
third game when Lewis pulled out the china marble and held it up
to admire. "How about we make this game a little more
interestin?" he said.

Little Joe squinted at him and
wondered if he could snatch that china marble and get to Paint
before Lewis got a hold of him.

"Ill use this for my
shooter and you use that marble one you won last game. And
whoever wins this game gets every thing on the ground right now
and both of these. Winner takes all."

"Fine by me," Little
Joe agreed.

The game was not the runaway
Little Joe had hoped for. He hit one marble out and then missed
the next one. Lewis hit one out and missed his next shot. Neither
one of them seemed capable of getting their shooter out of the
circle which meant they were fair game as targets. But Lewis was
having as much trouble a he was and the game dragged on and on.

Instead of the usual shouts and
calls as the shots were made there were subdued "oohs"
and "awws" and the spectators crowded so close Lewis
had to warn them to back off more than once.

Little Joe didnt know
when he had concentrated so much on a game in all his life. Using
every skill Adam had taught him, and a few hed developed on
his own, he worked slowly and methodically toward winning. He
tuned out the sounds of the other boys; even Lewis taunts,
and barely heard the "chink" as marble hit marble.

Then it came down to one shot.
The china marble and two others were in a line with his shooter.
He had to do what Adam had shown him last week  hit the
first one hard enough to put everything into motion but not
scatter them too much and at the same time get his shooter out of
the ring.

He knuckled down, pretended
there was nothing else in the world, and then watched it all
happen in slow motion. The first marble, the third one, the
second one rolling beautifully. Did his shooter have enough on
it? It was rolling for the outside circle. Rolling. Slowing. It
barely crossed the line and Little Joe yelped for joy.

He reached, closing his fingers
around the china marble, and Lewis boot stomped down on his
hand.

"You didnt knuckle
down!" Lewis yelled.

"Yeah, he did!"
Wendell shouted back.

Little Joe didnt plan to
give Lewis any time to think about it. With one hand still
trapped under Lewis boot, he rammed his shoulder hard
behind the bigger boys right knee and Lewis crumpled to the
dirt in agony.

"All right!" Toby
laughed.

Little Joe started gathering up
the other marbles.

"Look out!" Zed
warned.

Little Joe caught movement from
the side of his eye and he ducked so Lewis flew into the dirt as
he had when he had tried to fight Adam. And when he got to his
feet and bent over, Little Joe knew he was going to make a run
for Little Joes gut  same as he had for Adams.

But he didnt. Instead he
swung and a fist smashed into Little Joes cheek near his
ear. Nothing he had ever experienced had prepared him for that
pain.

"Little Joe! Get
down!" Toby yelled.

Following his friends
directions, Little Joe ducked into a ball but still felt Lewis
smash into his back. Hed about had enough of this no matter
what Pa said about not fighting. Besides, Pa wasnt here.

Angry, and without even
thinking, he barreled into Lewis and sent him crashing to his
back. Then Little Joe sat on top and hit his adversary anywhere
he could land a fist  sides, face, upper arms - he
wasnt picky.

All the shouts, warnings and
cheers died as if someone had thrown a bucket of water on a
burning log and for a moment Little Joe wondered what was wrong
with his ears.

Then a hand grabbed his right
arm. He would have known those gloves anywhere.

They nodded and Pa directed his
attention to Little Joe, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

Going home was not something he
particularly wanted to do. He dragged his heels until he reached
Paint.

"Do you want to settle
this now?" Pa asked from atop his horse.

He put a little more speed in
adjusting the saddle and swung Paint around to follow Pa. But a
gloved finger pointed to Pas right side and Little Joe
wordlessly urged Paint to go abreast.

He had the china marble back,
but that was about the only thing right in his world. Well, there
was one more thing  Pa didnt know hed ever been
playing for keeps and lost it in the first place. So that was
good.

What wasnt so good was
that hed ridden into town without permission. And then,
worst of all, hed gotten in that fight with Lewis. That was
gonna cost im some hide.

He just wouldnt think
about it until they got home. Anything could happen in the
meantime. He might get hit by lightning or a mountain lion could
eat him or he could just drop dead. Pirates could even kidnap
him. Or outlaws could shoot him. It happened.

It just never happened to him
 and especially not when he needed it to.

"Little Joe."

Pas voice brought his
head up and he was surprised to see Pa leaning his right hand on
his horses hip as he looked back at him from a considerable
distance.

Howd he get this far
behind? He urged Paint to catch up and bit at his lip.

They were nearing the house
when Pa asked, "Are you hurt?"

Would saying yes
win some sympathy? Maybe keep Pa from tanning him? Course
after Pa and Hop Sing checked him over and found out he was lying
hed be in even more trouble. Unless he could really pretend
he was hurt inside  something that didnt show.
Somehow, he didnt feel up to that.

"Little Joe?"

"Yes, Pa?"

"Are you hurt
anywhere?"

He shook his head and swung
from Paints saddle.

"Clean up and meet me at
the barn."

Maybe he could accidentally
fall in the well and drown.

Hoss watched his little brother
walk to the porch, his pants knee ripped and his shirt and
face covered in dirt. What was it about going to town lately?
First Adam and now Little Joe getting into fights? He put down
Abigail and John Adams as Pa walked toward him, leading the
horses.

"Wheres your
brother?"

"Adam?" Hoss asked
hesitantly.

Pa didnt even reply
 just wrapped the reins around the corral rail.

"He said he was going for
a walk." Hoss forced an uncertain smile. "All the
chores are done, Pa."

"Thank you. Would you take
care of the horses, please?"

"Sure thing."

Hoss watched Pa walk behind the
house. Bet hes headed to find Adam at the pond. Hope they
dont argue no more. Never can stand it when they do that.
Hoss clicked his tongue to get Paints attention and
loosened the saddle.

Ben stepped from the trees into
the clearing that overlooked the stream-fed pond. The grass,
which had been as green as an emerald a month ago, was drying. It
was almost the color of Hoss hair  golden and curling
as it cured.

Ahead, on the flat rocks, sat
his oldest son. Hat beside him so his dark hair shone blue in the
late sunlight; shirtsleeves rolled to his elbows; his knees
pulled up. Ever so often he picked up a pebble and tossed it into
the small waves that lapped at the nearby shore but his heart
wasnt in it.

Ben had let Adam think about
the reprimand long enough. Now it was time for understanding and
praise.

He walked to his sons
side and sat on his boot heels to look out at the water,
remembering many other times when Adam and he had talked while
studying the waves of the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico. "I
shouldnt have yelled at you in front of the others. I
apologize."

Adam didnt respond.

Ben patted his son on the back.
He stood and took a deep breath. "Thank you for finishing
the chores." He turned toward the house.

"Pa?" Adam stood
quickly.

Ben faced him.

His son wanted to speak but the
words didnt come.

Ben thought he knew what Adam
needed to hear, though. "Its not easy deciding whether
to be the adult your father expects or the partner your little
brother needs." He smiled. "But a man couldnt
have a finer son than you are, Adam."

The slender shoulders came out
of their slump and the deep blue eyes shimmered. Adam was back.

Little Joe didnt drown in
the well. He couldnt even manage to trip and fall and knock
himself out going into the house. So all that was left was to
scrub up and change clothes.

He had pulled on clean pants
and a shirt, but hadnt tucked it in, when he decided he had
to come up with a plan. He sat on his bunk, leaned his elbows on
his knees and wondered if he should run away.

He bet he could get to
Sacramento or maybe even to San Francisco. If he got there he
could get on a sailin ship and not have to face Pa until he
was grown like Adam. Maybe Pa would be so glad to see him after
that he would forget how mad he was when Little Joe ran off. Or
maybe he wouldve been getting madder every day.

Maybe he should run off and try
prospectin. Hed heard it was a tough life but heck
that didnt scare him. Smoke and him liked being outdoors
and playin in water. Think how much more fun it would be if
you were playin in a creek and all of a sudden you found
gold in your pan. He could get rich and come back and theyd
have everything they needed for the ranch. They could even hire
some hands to help run the place.

Course he could always run back
to New Orleans. Tante Jeanette would let him stay with her. No,
Pa would sure enough come for him if he were in New Orleans.

And if he ran off and Pa found
him  he trembled a little with the thought.

"Chilled?"

The voice caused Little Joe to
jump.

Pa crossed from the door to the
window and lowered it so there wasnt quite as much breeze
entering the room.

"I  I was coming to
the barn, Pa. I was just  thinking the way you always tell
me to."

He jerked his eyes upward,
concentrating on the way Pa leaned on the upright post of Hoss
and Adams bunks. "And what did you decide?" Pa
asked.

Little Joe sat looking at his
bare feet. "Not to run away."

"Good decision."
Pas voice was like it always was. Not angry. "And the
other decisions you made today?"

He shook his head. "They
werent so good."

"Tell me about them."

"I  I went to town
without permission. And I got in that fight with Lewis. But I
didnt want to do that, Pa. Lewis made me."

"You had plenty of chances
to get out of it," Pa said.

Little Joe hoped he looked
innocent as he made eye contact. "No, I didnt
Pa."

"I was there when you
started the last game of marbles. Would you care to rethink what
you just told me?" Pa suggested.

Little Joes mind fought
for bearings. The start of the last game of marbles? What would
Pa know from seeing that?

He would know that Lewis won
the china marble in an earlier game. And he would know they had
been playing for keeps and in that last game Little Joe agreed to
winner take all.

This was bad.

Then Pa saw the fight. The
whole fight. He saw Little Joe take that cheap shot at Lewis in
the beginning and then wale on him when he finally got on top.

This was really, really bad.

Hed better not make it
any worse by lying.

"How did Lewis get the
china marble?" Pa asked.

"From Wendell." When
Pa made an impatient movement, Little Joe explained. "I lost
it to Wendell and then Wendell played Lewis when I didnt
come into town when I first got Smoke."

"So you ignored all my
warnings about not gambling?"

Little Joe nodded slowly.

"Does that sound like a
good decision?"

He shook his head.

"You ignored your chores,
left without permission and went to town to play Lewis and win
back the china marble. Do any of those sound like a good
decision?"

He shook his head again.

"Any other
decisions?" Pa prompted.

He swallowed and gripped his
hands together real hard and wished he were anywhere but here.

"What did I tell you about
fighting Lewis?"

"Not to."

"You disobeyed me when you
gambled with the marbles. You disobeyed me when you fought
Lewis," Pa said calmly as he moved to the chair they sat on
to pull off their boots. "You did not get permission to go
to town. And you neglected your chores so your brothers had to do
more than their share." Pa motioned for Little Joe to stand
and walk to him. "Any questions about why Im doing
this?"

Little Joe shook his head
no and then he was across Pas lap. Pas
left hand flipped back the shirttail Little Joe hadnt
tucked in and then his right hand seared the seat of Little
Joes pants.

It was a long time before Pa
put him back on his feet.

"Joe."

He looked up wordlessly.

"Be sure you thank your
brothers for doing your chores."

As soon as Pa was out of the
room he made his way to his bunk. Instead of bawling into his
pillow like he had the other times when Pa spanked him, Little
Joe slowly curled on his right side, clutched at his quilt and
wept quietly.

A scratching at the bunkroom
door pulled Little Joe from sleep and for a moment he panicked
 afraid hed overslept and missed his morning chores.
But then he noticed the sun was low in the west. He rolled from
his bunk and was pulled up short by the hurting in his tail.
Limping slightly to the door, he opened it and Smoke bounded in,
jumping around his legs with a welcome as if Little Joe had died
and come back to life.

He shuffled barefoot into the
living room. He needed to move around and get some of the
soreness out.

Hop Sing looked up from his
worktable and smiled.

Little Joe cleared his throat.
"Hop Sing? Do you maybe have some tea for a stomach?"

"This tea make things
better." He sprinkled a few leaves in the mug and then
handed it to Little Joe. "Use kettle water by fire. Let sit
until half as dark as fathers coffee and leaves settle to
bottom."

The boy nodded. He started to
sit on his heels but quickly thought better of that when his
bottom hurt him. He bent over from the waist instead although
that wasnt much more comfortable.

"Hoo boy thats a
fine target," Hoss laughed but immediately regretted it when
Little Joe jerked up and splashed hot water on his hand. "I
was only kidding, little brother."

Hoss continued to give him a
worried look as he walked toward the washbasin.

"Yeah, I think we
could," Adam said as he stepped into the house. He waved his
arms and walked backwards so he could face Pa. "We have the
lumber."

"For what?" Hoss
asked from the washbasin.

"Adam thinks we have
enough space to build a work shed," Pa answered.

Hoss dried his hands quickly.
"Sure would free up more of the barn."

"By the way, someone needs
to oil those tools tomorrow." Pa walked to the basin Hoss
had vacated and refilled it. He nodded to his youngest son who
stood not far from the fireplace holding a mug. The boys
face was much too rigid, his coloring too pale, his eyes swollen
from crying and sleep. "Little Joe," he said simply.

"Pa."

"Hey," Hoss said,
"that work shed could double as a dog house for Smoke
sometimes, too."

"Well, son, well see
about that. Smoke has a lot of growing up to do before we can
trust him with that much equipment."

The subject of the conversation
barked loudly and Hoss picked him up. "Notice how his bark
is getting deeper? Next thing you know hell be
shaving."

They all laughed. Everyone
except Joe. He looked down at his tea and decided it was the
right color to drink.

He didnt much feel like
listening to all the talk in the living room so he returned to
the bunkroom and leaned out the window, breathing in the cooler
air of early evening. He sipped the tea. At first it hit a very
empty stomach but after he drank it all, he closed his eyes and
let the breeze wash over him. In his imagination he was atop a
cloud, looking down on a deep green forest. There were baby deer
looking up at him and a herd of horses running below as fast as
his cloud was moving in the air. Birds flew next to him and then
he was floating over a lake full of clear, cold water with smooth
rocks at the bottom.

A hand on his back scared him
from his daydream and he wouldve dropped the empty mug if
Pa hadnt caught it in his left hand.

Ben looked into Little
Joes startled eyes. "You know I wont excuse you
from dinner," he said softly as he placed the mug on the
floor beside the chair. After all, Ben didnt feel much like
eating either with his stomach still sour from having to punish
his son. But there was a house rule that punishment didnt
excuse anyone from daily routine.

Little Joes usually
smiling lips were straight.

Ben preferred his sons obedient
but he didnt want them frightened  and this one was.
He sat in the chair. "Do you remember when I told you Smoke
would only feel good about himself when he was grown if you had
given him lots of love and set limits?"

The boy nodded.

"Well - I have to set
limits for you, too. Fighting is no way to settle an argument.
People who get in fights tend to wind up on the wrong side of the
law, son. And as you get older youll be able to make up
your own mind about gambling. But right now theres too much
danger in it for you." Ben paused a moment, searching his
sons face, hoping the youngster understood. "The
reason you need to ask permission before you go somewhere is
because I depend on you. I may need your help or have something
else planned. Its also a sign of respect to let others know
where you are."

But none of that was what was
bothering Little Joe. When Pa had asked him if he had any
questions about why Pa was going to spank him he hadnt. He
knew. He shook his head "no" and Pa quit talking.

Why had Little Joe shaken his
head no? Why couldnt Ben figure out what was
frightening the boy? After a moment he leaned forward, arms on
his knees, and reached up with his right hand to brush Little
Joes hair off his forehead. "Want to tell me
whats wrong?"

Little Joe wasnt sure he
could  too much depended on it. "Pa?" he
whispered.

"Yes, son?"

"Are  are things all
right?"

There was a world of meaning in
those simple words. Ben maintained eye contact with his youngest
son. "If you learned your lesson then yes, things are all
right."

Little Joe ventured closer.
"Promise?"

"Promise."

A single tear trickled down his
cheek as he asked, "Spit on it?"

Ben gave a short laugh in
surprise. He hadnt spit on anything since John and he had
been kids.

Little Joe spit in his right
hand and held it out. Pa did the same and they shook 
Little Joes hand lost in Pas enormous one. He bet Pa
had never spit with Adam or Hoss, by golly.

Pa stood and lifted the pillow
from the extra bunk. He handed it down to Little Joe without
asking if he needed it.

Clutching the pillow in front
of him, Little Joe walked with Pa to the dinner table, wondering
if Adam and Hoss would notice how much taller he was since
hed shaken hands with Pa man-to-man.